Lenovo IdeaPad U510 Laptop: Core i5 3317U 1.7GHz, 15.6" 1366x768 LED, 6GB DDR3, 750GB HDD + 24GB SSD, Intel HD 4000, WiFi N, Windows 8 $475 + Free Shipping

Cannot tell you how many broken Lenovos I have bought just to part out on Ebay recently. Based on my own experience owning one I can tell you that the touchpads are frustratingly bad and the system boards love to fail early. Don't confuse these cheap models with the ThinkPad models IBM used to sell, they are waaay different in terms of quality and reliability. Now if they included a free square trade warranty MAYBE I'd consider one.

Updated wiki with link to Amazon reviews, the bulk of which are not favorable.

Just another example of Lenovo garbage, with good specs on the surface and a price that makes people think they're getting a good deal. Read the reviews, they tell the story.

Lenovo's strategy is to include a few quality brand name components like Intel and nVidia so they can stamp it on their boxes, and cut corners on all the rest. Motherboards, RAM quality, Touchpads, cameras, and especially the screens matter - all areas that Lenovo uses the cheapest components possible to pad their profits.

Don't fall for it.

This model has major issues, avoid it like the plague.

Ok deal if you can deal with or fix any issues...

Oos......

Quote from cheepdood : Cannot tell you how many broken Lenovos I have bought just to part out on Ebay recently. Based on my own experience owning one I can tell you that the touchpads are frustratingly bad and the system boards love to fail early. Don't confuse these cheap models with the ThinkPad models IBM used to sell, they are waaay different in terms of quality and reliability. Now if they included a free square trade warranty MAYBE I'd consider one. Updated wiki with link to Amazon reviews, the bulk of which are not favorable.

what about asus?

Quote from aggravated : Just another example of Lenovo garbage, with good specs on the surface and a price that makes people think they're getting a good deal. Read the reviews, they tell the story. Lenovo's strategy is to include a few quality brand name components like Intel and nVidia so they can stamp it on their boxes, and cut corners on all the rest. Motherboards, RAM quality, Touchpads, cameras, and especially the screens matter - all areas that Lenovo uses the cheapest components possible to pad their profits. Don't fall for it.

what about asus laptops? do they use high quality mobo ram touchpad etc?

Why can't this be a 14 inch ultrabook? That 15.6in is way too big for that resolution.

Quote from iBoo : what about asus? what about asus?

I wouldn't put Asus in the same category as Lenovo from what I've read and seen and personally experienced. I also wouldn't say Asus components are better than Dell or HP a lot of the time - but Lenovo is as risky as it gets.

I just bought this last week for $500 with the $50 off coupon...will Staples price match it for this price??

I've had this laptop for about 3 months now. Got it when Staples had it for 700 in Nov. 2012, with the in-store -100$ coupon, came to 600$ all in, Texas.

The reviews on Amazon are a bit harsh. Yes this laptop has some minor issues, but I haven't experienced the severe hardware failures that seem to be common on those reviews. Build quality is quite good, trying to copy apple's clean styling cues and I must admit, this is a good looking laptop.

Keeping in mind that this laptop had every feature I was searching for at the price point ($600), I am happy so far. (Backlit keyboard, i5 processor, separate numpad, very thin/slick looking, 750GB hard disk with the 24GB SSD, USB 3.0 port, Windows 8). At the time I was searching for latops, the only close competitor was this Asus [bestbuy.com], but it was almost twice as thick and didnt have SSD.

The cons:
-keyboard insert is weak, has a lot of give as mentioned in the review. But I like the keys themselves. This is always subjective and one person may like what another does not.
-The reboot thing was annoying when you close the lid. But it just involves some settings tweaks. Doesn't happen anymore. Even a basic computer savvy person can fix that.
-Wifi signal, does seem to drop maybe once in a week. I usually turn on airplane mode, then turn off again, and it reconnects. Don't know why it does this, but it's not as bad as the 2 or 3 feet range that one of the amazon reviews claims, that's just bad.
-battery life not great, but enough.
-touchpad: i turned off the pinch/zoom feature as it wasn't executed well and was getting in the way more than helping. Only Apple has got this right so far, and with just the right sensitivity as well. Otherwise the touchpad is ok. Doesn't jitter all over the place like some reviews mentioned.
-the metal tends to smudge easily.

In a nutshell, this is an excellent mid-level laptop that will satisfy most people at this pricepoint. If you're not a gamer or using memory/graphics heavy software, this will be fine. Don't expect macbook quality or fluidity, but for what it is at the price it is, I'm happy with the purchase.

Good luck whoever buys this...

Generally avoid all Lenovo consumer lines like the plague. Thinkpads ok.

Got it at the store, last one in stock. Great deal, I'll take a chance on the reviews.

i am pretty sure this one does not include the backlit keyboard

I can vouch for how horrible this laptop is. I bought one from Lenovo and the touchpad was horrific. Returned and got a replacement thinking it was a bad unit, but it had the same issue plus a 20 foot wifi range.

Bad experience, not worth trouble.